Lodged (Kinsmen Billionaires #2)

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ruin MacAllister

E xam week is over, and I’m in the elevator on my way to environmental lab. I haven’t seen Gio since that time I saw him at the library. I still cannot believe I texted him asking him out. And furthermore, that he said yes.

I know it was a rookie mistake to text him—leaving a trail that can later incriminate us wasn’t my brightest idea, but I really needed to ask him. And not doing it in person gave me the courage I needed. But now, seeing him at the front of the room as I walk into the lab, I don’t feel so courageous anymore—my hands are clammy and my heart is racing.

“Good afternoon, class. Today’s lab is pretty straightforward. We’re going to check a set of contaminated water samples, and we’ll determine which compounds are present in each sample. I’ll be at my desk if anyone has any questions.”

Gio starts the lab, and my heart skips a beat at the sight. He’s wearing a plain gray tee, jeans, and black Converse shoes. I think he has Chucks in every single color of the rainbow, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him wearing a pair twice. I know for most people, Gio would be an okay guy to look at, but for me, he’s everything. His relaxed stance, casual clothing, and smart gaze make me hot and tingly in all the right places. And his eyes… How can I describe that color?

“Cobalt,” I murmur. My lab partner looks at me, confused. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of how to describe a pretty shade of blue.” She nods and smiles at my explanation, and I release a breath. That was close—I can’t let anyone know I’m falling for our lab instructor. What I’m beginning to feel is not only, oh, he’s hot and good to look at ; it’s more like I really enjoy talking to him and want to spend more time with him, kind of thing.

I’m ruined . I giggle at my joke, only to find everyone looking at me. My lab partner’s eyes are wide, as if to say, What the heck is wrong with you ? I feel my face grow warm. Oh, Lord. I want to dig a hole and hide for the rest of my days. I didn’t realize I said that out loud. Now, Gio must think I’m crazy.

“As I was saying, I’m going to finish grading the exams, and I’ll post them to our portal as soon as possible—hopefully by tonight.” A collective groan fills the classroom, which makes Gio chuckle. I shake my head in an effort to get rid of my thoughts, and after a deep breath and straightening my shoulders, I dive into running the experiment with my lab partner.

After about an hour into the lab, I ask Kelly, “Do you want to take a break?” She shakes her head. I shrug and remove my lab coat to wash my hands before making my way out of the lab. There’s a vending machine in the break room, so that’s where I’m heading. I need something sweet to get me through the next couple of hours before I can have a real meal.

There’s a huge table in the middle of the break room with about eight chairs, a fridge, and a microwave for those who bring their own food. Of course, the vending machine is next to the door. A huge window faces the road, which is always busy with traffic, but beautiful oaks line the sidewalks.

I jerk back as I enter the room. Gio is in front of the window, his back to me. He’s quietly munching on something, and even though I’d love to chat with him for a bit, I know it’s not the smartest idea.

After recovering from my shock, I look for change in my pockets to get a candy bar. Gio looks back at the noise, and the moment our eyes lock, I feel my insides burning. His face softens into an easy smile, and I can’t help but smile back.

“Having a good day?” he asks as he moves closer to me. For some reason, I can’t form any words, so I nod and smile.

“Hungry?” I nod again.

He takes his student ID from his back pocket and buys a couple of treats from the vending machine. I’m confused by what he’s doing since he’s already eating a granola bar. He bends down and grabs another granola bar—exactly like the one he’s eating—along with a Snickers and a pack of Nerds Gummy Clusters. When he stands up to his full height, he opens his hand, offering me the snacks. I shoot him a grateful smile and grab the granola bar and Nerds, my fingers lightly grazing his palm in the process.

“My favorites,” I tell him as I open the Nerds first.

“Good to know,” he says with a wink as he leaves the Snickers bar on the table and leaves the break room. Once he’s gone, I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding. Gio Bianchi is a vibe—he got me all hot and bothered by just the mere touch of his palm against mine, leaving me acutely aware of his effect on me.

I check my phone and see it’s ten past five. I’m late. I hope he doesn’t think I’m a no-show, but the line to enter the fairgrounds was insane. I left home at four, thinking it’d give me plenty of time. But boy, was I wrong. I’m still not used to the crowds here in Raleigh or how long it takes to go from one place to the next. Back home, everything we need is within a fifteen-minute drive, tops—unless, of course, we need to go to another town.

Once I get through security, I make my way to the Ferris wheel. It’s the tallest attraction at the fair, which is why I told him to meet me there. When I arrive, I see a line that goes around and around. It’ll take me forever to find him. Feeling discouraged and frustrated, I start making my way along the line, hoping to see a tall, beautiful blond man. I feel my phone vibrate in my hand, and when I look down at the screen, a wide grin spreads across my face.

Gio : Keep walking, I see you.

I lift my eyes, but I don’t see him yet. There are just too many people around, and I’m starting to feel overwhelmed. After walking for a few more minutes, I come to a halt. Gio is standing at the front of the line and has a huge smile on his face. Today, his Chucks are light gray, the same color as his sweater.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he says, and I giggle.

“Likewise.” I close my eyes, taking in this moment. I still can’t believe I’m here with him. On a date. Can we even call it a date? When I asked him out, he said it would be a coincidence if we met here. I’m not sure if he was playing or covering his tracks in case someone at school gets their hands on our text exchange; regardless, I’m ecstatic this is happening.

“Are you ready?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“For what?”

“To ride the Ferris wheel, of course. We’re next in line.” My eyes widen in surprise, I didn’t think we were actually going to ride. “Are you afraid of heights? Did I muck it up already?” he asks, frowning with curiosity. I hate that I’m making him doubt himself.

“No, of course not. I just wasn’t expecting to actually ride the Ferris wheel. I’ve actually never done it before,” I tell him honestly, and understanding visibly washes over him.

“It’s okay. I promise we’ll be safe.” He gives me a reassuring smile as he places his hand on the low of my back, guiding me toward the pod. Once we’re seated and the kid who manages the ride has fastened the security bar, Gio moves in place, getting comfortable. He’s so tall that his right leg presses against my left one. The heat radiating through his jeans lights my skin on fire. I’m wearing a dark green corduroy dress that reaches mid-thigh, leaving my bare legs exposed. This pod is tiny, and his tall frame makes it feel smaller, but I’d be lying if I said it bugs me. I’m enjoying every single second of being so close to him.

“I got you a little something from London.” A small bag materializes in Gio’s hands. I guess I’ve been so entranced by his presence that I didn’t notice he was holding something.

“Oh wow, you didn’t have to,” I say in a small voice, not really sure how to react to his thoughtfulness.

“I know, but since you mentioned you’ve always wanted to go to Sky Garden, I figured I’d get you something from there until you can go visit yourself.” My heart instantly melts a little. I take the bag from him and grin like a kid in a candy store as I open it. There’s a beautiful keychain of Sky Garden inside and a little note.

“A gift voucher for one thousand pounds?” I whisper-shout, and Gio throws his head back, laughing.

“Yeah, as I said—a little something and a voucher, hoping that one day you can go…” His blue eyes are fixed on me as he finishes, “...with me.”

His generosity makes me speechless, so I simply nod as I hold his gaze a little longer. I could get lost in those eyes.

“So you’ve never done this before?” he asks, and I’m thankful he decided to switch topics.

“Yeah, the fair we have every year in my town is pretty small; there are no big attractions like this one. It’s mostly local vendors, a few contests, and animal races. That kind of stuff,” I say as I look at those cobalt eyes of his. He’s staring at me with such intensity that I would be on the ground if I weren’t already sitting down.

“I’m sorry, I know staring is rude. But I cannot comprehend how we are here. Together.” Gio voices my thoughts, and that makes me smile.

“I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.” I tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear as I move my gaze away from his, trying to breathe a little easier.

“I need to be honest with you, Ruin. This has never happened to me before.” I can hear the sincerity in his voice, it’s raw and real. As I think about what he just said, I can’t help but admire how open and vulnerable he is right now. Another guy could have lied and said he has gone out with students before—but not him. It only reaffirms what I already think about him.

“Somehow, I know, Gio. From the first moment I saw you, I had this sense of peace around you. Like I knew you’d never hurt me.” He places his huge hand on my knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. A shot of electricity runs through me at the contact of his skin with mine. When I lift my gaze to his, and his eyes shine bright—full of emotion. He shoots me a wobbly smile and inhales deeply.

“I’m not sure what’s going on between us, or where all this is going, but I’m thankful it’s with someone as special and unique as you.” I’m speechless, unable to comprehend what he sees in me. “Tell me about your family. Have you talked with them since you visited? I guess we need to catch up.” I’m grateful for the change of topic; I don’t think we’re ready to talk about anything too deep, yet.

“Oh yes, of course. I speak with my twin daily and at least every other day with my Mom. They’re all hard at work before winter comes.”

Gio smiles. “And how did it go? I know we’ve spoken a couple of times after that, but you never told me what they said about your car issues,” he says, waiting expectantly for me to continue the story.

“My entire family was waiting for me in the living room. As it turns out, the insurance company contacted my oldest brother, River, who was beside himself. I didn’t make things easier by deciding to wait until I was home to tell them everything.” Gio winces and I laugh. “I know, it was pretty bad. But in my defense, I’m a twenty-four year old woman. You’d think my family would trust me enough to solve my own problems.” Gio nods and smiles, which makes me feel better about myself.

“Yeah, I mean. I’m the oldest sibling of three. Isa, the youngest, is twenty-two and is about to graduate from college.” He pauses, looking to the horizon. I can tell by the smile on his face that he’s fond of his siblings. And I love that he seems to be as close to them as I am to mine. “As hard as it is, I try my best to let her make her own mistakes. That’s how you learn, you know?” Gio shrugs, and I know exactly what he means.

“What is she studying? Is she a scientist like you?” I ask, wanting to know everything about Gio and his family. He chuckles and shakes his head.

“No, no. She’s working on a degree in art. My middle brother, Luca, has a degree in communication but he ended up buying a vineyard and now runs it with his wife in Chile.” My eyes grow big as saucers. A vineyard? They must have a lot of money to be able to afford something like that. I sense Gio tensing, and I immediately shake off my surprise. It’s none of my business to know how much money his family makes, and it’s definitely not a first-date kind of topic.

The Ferris wheel stops, and we get out of the pod.

“What do you want to do next?” Gio asks me as he helps me down the stairs.

“Hmm, let’s see. Are you up for a turkey leg?” I say, looking at the food options around us.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He grins, and we head toward the line to order our food.

“I know it’s not the healthiest, but fair food is so dang tasty.” I chuckle at his assessment.

“I completely agree. Fried food is delicious. Have you tried fried oreo ice cream?” He raises a brow at me, and I raise my hands in surrender.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to assume,” I say shyly, and he elbows my arm playfully.

“Because I’m a foreigner?” he asks, and I feel my face warming up. “I’ll have you know, I love North Carolina, and it’s been a joy to live here for the past four years. Traveling to beautiful destinations, trying delicious food, not to mention how nice and welcoming the people are. Actually, I don’t think I ever want to leave.”

A smile spreads across my lips, he’s such a nice guy.

“Amen, brother,” a guy ahead of us in line turns back and says to Gio, who blushes a deep red.

Once we get our turkey legs and sweet tea, we find a spot to sit down and eat. We both focus on our food and enjoy each other's company in comfortable silence. We end up sharing a funnel cake and oreo fried ice cream after we devour the turkey legs, which were huge.

The night slowly falls upon us, and a beautiful array of oranges and purples transform the sky. We walk around some more, talking about everything and nothing in particular. I don’t want this date to end.

“Getting tired?” Gio asks. I stifle a yawn as we watch a pig race. I can’t believe how cute these little piglets are. They are all wearing a different color bow tie, and their prize for winning is a huge pile of food.

“No, I think I’m in a food coma,” I tell him honestly, and he smiles down at me, those eyes of his shining bright again. There’s no better feeling in the world than to be cherished by this man because that’s exactly how he makes me feel with his attentiveness.

“Come on, let’s do one last thing before we call it a night.” I internally whine at the thought of the night being over, but we’ve been here for hours, and the fair is the busiest on the weekend. We’ve been very lucky no one has spotted us so far.

“This is what you want to play?” I ask, surprised at his choice of game. He smiles like a kid in a candy store, so I nod and get ready to shoot some aliens. The attendant gives us the air guns, and we both get in position. I look up at Gio, but the buzzer goes off—it’s go time. I focus as hard as I can on knocking down as many aliens as possible. But this game must be rigged—the damn aliens won’t go down! The buzzer goes off way too soon, and I pout as I give the air gun back to the attendant.

“Which prize did you want to win?” Gio asks, and I point to a cute husky plush toy. “How much for that dog?”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to buy it,” I say, grabbing him by the arm to pull him away from the tent, but he’s not budging.

“That one is two hundred.” The attendant grins at Gio, and my eyes almost pop out of my eye sockets.

“What? There’s no way.” I start to protest, but Gio takes his wallet out of his pocket. Before I know it, I have the most adorable husky plushie in my hands.

“Thank you,” I murmur as I bring the toy to my lips. It’s so soft and cuddly.

“You’re welcome.” Gio grins at me, and I melt at his attention.

“What are you going to name it?” he asks, curiosity transforming his face.

“Cobalt. Reminds me of someone’s blue eyes.” Understanding dawns on him, and he gives me a sweet smile.